Direction Leaflet Number Five HOW TO MAKE AND USE SPREADING BOARDS FOR INSECTS By ALICE GRAY Department of Insects and Spiders The American Museum of Natural History The wings of an insect are often its most character-istic feature and should, in well mounted specimens, be clearly visible. Since many kinds of insects die with their wings so closed or folded as to obscure their characters, it is necessary to spread them arti-ficially. This is particularly true of moths and butter-flies, but damsel-flies, stone-flies, and members of some other orders may be handled in a similar manner. Such creatures as beetles, grasshoppers, and true bugs, whose hind wings are covered by the forewings save when in flight, if spread at all, may be spread on the left side only. The other pair of wings remains in thenormal resting position. Properly pinned and spread insects of several orders are shown in fig. 1. Fig. 1. Insects which have been mounted by the use of spreading boards, top and rear views, showing the position of the pin in the specimen and of the locality label on the pin. 1. Butterfly. A. is the label. 2. Damsel-fly. 3. Grasshopper, showing the traditional thoracic position of the pin, as well as the preferred po- sition in the right forewing. 4. Beetle. Although it is possible, with patience and in-genuity, to spread insects without special equipment, the process is made quicker and easier by the use of a spreading board, upon which the wings may be extended. This is actually two boards mounted with enough space between them to contain the body and legs of the insect. Fig. 2 shows a commercially made spreading board with groove of adjustable width. If you have not many specimens to mount, you would do well to buy one of these from a scientific supply house; but if you are planning a large general col-lection, it would be better to make for yourself a num- ber of spreading boards of assorted sizes. The dimensions of spreading boards may vary. Those given here are large enough to contain our biggest local insects, and small enough to handle easily. For very little species, they could be much Fig. 2. An adjustable spreading board.